Positive alarm lock



A ril 10, 1962 J. SAVAGE 3,029,424

POSITIVE ALARM LOCK Filed May 27, 1960 IN VEN TOR. JOSEPH SAVAGE ATTORNEYS United States Patent fitice Patented Apr. 10, 1962 3,029,424 POSITIVE ALARM LOCK Joseph Savage, 2025 W. 98th St., Cleveland, Ohio Filed May 27, 1960, Ser. No. 32,412 7 Claims. (Cl. 340-274) This invention relates to alarm mechanisms and is particularly useful in connection with the discouragement or prevention of thefts from automotive vehicles.

in recent years the theft of spare tires, and other items from automobile trunks, has been an increasingly serious problem. in an average, large city the annual number of such thefts has reached a disturbingly high figure. Both automotive manufacture-rs and'law enforcement agencies have for some time displayed an interest in the development of an alarm mechanism for use with automotive vehicles in the hope that such mechanism would cause a decrease in the number of such thefts.

Several alarm devices havebeen proposed in the past, but usually such devices were too complicated or too expensive to appeal either to the manufacturer or to the ultimate consumer. As a result no alarm mechanism has been adopted on a large scale with the result that thefts continue at a high rate.

It is, therefore, a general object of the invention to provide a suitable alarm mechanism for use in connection with automotive vehicles and, particularly, in connection with the storage trunks thereof.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a mechanism of the type described which is sufliciently simple in construction to be commercially feasible.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide an alarm mechanism especially adapted for installation in the trunk of an automotive vehicle, which mechanism is operable in response to the actuation of the trunk lock.

It is another object of the invention to provide a mechanism of the type described, which may be readily adapted for installation in a wide variety of automobiles of different makes and models.

It is still another object of the invention to provide an alarm mechanism of such construction as to be positive and reliable in operation and easy to maintain.

Other and further objects of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description to follow.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is set forth in the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, largely schematic, showing the alarm mechanism of this invention installed in the trunk of an automotive vehicle;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the mechanism with parts broken away, showing the relative positions of the various components when the trunk is closed and locked;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of the mechanism, showing the relative positions of the various components when the trunk lid is closed and the key has been inserted in the trunk lock and rotated through ninety degrees;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation of the mechanism, showing the trunk lid unlocked and lifted;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the relative positions of the various components when the trunk lid has been jimmied or otherwise illicitly opened and;

FIG. 6 is a top view, largely schematic, with certain of the components shown in section along the line 6'-6 of F] G. 2 for clarity.

Experience has shown, generally speaking, that trunk lids are illicitly opened in one or the other-of two ways. In many instances, the lock is driven out of position by means of a punch or the like, in order that the trunk lid may be released. At other times, and particularly with some automobile models, the trunk lid may be sprung open, or unlatched, by a sharp blow delivered to a particular area of the lid. My alarm mechanism has been designed with these methods of operation in mind, and since for obvious reasons it is not desirable that an alarm be sounded when the lid is not illicitly opened, the operation of the mechanism to prevent the sounding of an appropriate alarm is made dependent upon the prior operation of the trunk lock with a key.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, I have shown a portion of an automobile trunk including a trunk lid 1 and a sill wall 2. Mounted in the sill wall by any suitable means is a conventional tumbler set assembly 3. In accordance with usual practice, the tumbler set assembly 3 is interconnected with the trunk lid latch assembly 4 by means of an operating bar 5 of generally rectangular cross section. Rotation of the key in the tumbler set 3 in turn causes rotation of the operating bar 5 and actua-' tion of the latch assembly 4.

Mounted in the trunk cavity adjacent the operating bar Sand opposed to the lid 1 is my novel alarm mechanism indicated generally at 6. The alarm mechanism includes a suitable frame 7 to which is attached an electrical switch 8.

The switch 8 is connected by leads 10 and 11 to the horn of the automobile, or to any other suitable, audible signaling means. The switch 8 is of the well-known, normally closed (N.C.) type, such that when the spring biased button 9 is depressed, as shown in FIGS. 1-4, the circuit by which the switch is connected to the horn is open and when extended, as shown in FIG. 5, the'circuit is closed.

As will be observed, the button Q is disposed in a general vertical direction so as to be engage'able by an elongated vertically disposed pilot rod 12 fixedly mounted on the trunk lid l. The frame 7 is provided with an aperture 13 through which the pilot rod 12 is adapted to pass as the trunk lid 1 is lowered.

A generally L-shaped control arm 14 is reciprocally re ceived in aperture 15 located near the top of the frame 7. The control arm includes a generally horizontally extend-= ing portion 16 having provided at one end thereof a depending leg portion 17. The free end of the horizontally. disposed portion 16 of the control arm 14 is provided with a flange 18 or other suitable abutment means for compression spring member 19 which is received around the horizontal portion 16 between the frame 7 and flange 18. The free end 24 of the depending leg is disposed in a position to intermittently engage the button 9 in response to the translational or reciprocative movements of the control arm 14. i

An adjusting screw 20 is received within-a tapped hole 21 provided in the control arm 14 and is slideably received within an elongated slot 22 formed in the frame 7. The adjusting screw acts as a guide member to maintain the control arm in the proper disposition and also provides for a certain amount of lateral adjustment of the am.

If desired, the portion of the depending leg 17 opposed to the pilot rod 12 maybe provided with a trough or" groove 23, within which the pilot rod 12 is adapted to be i received as the control arm-moves theretowards.

The operation of my alarm mechanism will be easily understood by a reference to the drawings, wherein the various figures illustrate the relative positions of the components of the mechanism during the different stages of its operation. When the trunk lid is closed and locked, the control arm is disposed in spaced relationship to the button, as seen in FIG. 2, with the engagement between the pilot rod 12 and the button being suificient to maintain the switch 8 open and prevent a completion of the electric circuit to the horn. When it is desired to open the trunk, the key is inserted into the tumbler set assembly 3. In response to the turning of the key in the tumbler set assembly, the operating bar 5 rotates to the position shown in FIG. 3. As the operating bar rotates it engages the adjacent free end of the portion 16 of the control arm with a camming action causing thereby a translational movement of such arm along the axis of the portion 16 thereof. As the control arm translates, the free end 24 of the depending leg portion 17 engages and rides over the button 9 of the switch 8, as seen in FIG. 3. It will be noted that interference between the pilot rod 12 and the control arm 14 as it translates is avoided by the groove or trough 23 into which the pilot rod is adapted to fit.

The spring 19 is considerably weaker than the spring biasing the button 9 so that the frictional force developed by the engagement of thebutton 9 and the free end 24 is suificient to overcome the biasing force of the spring 19 tending to return the control arm to the position of FIG. 2. This is important because in order to withdraw the key from the tumbler set assembly, it will normally be necessary to rotate the key back to its original position, which in turn will cause the engagement between the operating bar 5 and the control arm 14 to be broken, as indicated in FIG. 4. If at this time the frictional force resulting from the abutment of the free end 24 and the button 9 is not of a sufficiently great magnitude, the free end 24 of the control arm will not be maintained in opposed relationship to the button 9. The screw so permits minor adjustment of the control arm to insure the fact that the button 9 will be depressed against the biasing force of its spring as the free end 24 rides over button. Under some circumstances it may be desirable to increase the frictional gripping force between the button 9 and the free end portion 24 of the depending leg portion 17. This may be conveniently accomplished by providing the free end portion 24 with I serrations or other suitable surface roughening means.

When the trunk lid 1 is lifted, as seen in FIG. 4, the

engagement between the pilot rod 1.2 and the button 9 is broken, but the button is nevertheless prevented from rising because of its engagement with the free end 24 of the depending leg portion 17. For this reason, the circuit to the horn is not closed, and access to the trunk of. the vehicle without actuation of the horn is easily accomplished. When the trunk lid is again closed, the pilot rod 12 will normally travel slightly beyond its nor- -.mal rest position of FIG. 3 because of the inherent resiliency of the metal making up the sill 2. It therefore engages the button 9 and depresses the same a suificient amount to break the frictional engagement between the button and the free end 24 of the depending leg portion 17. Immediately after the frictional engagement is broken, the spring 19 returns the control arm to the position shown in FIG. 2. The button 9 is at this time held in depressed position by pilot rod 12 to prevent actuation of the switch 8.

Obviously, in the absence of an abutting relationship between the operating arm and button 9, the opening of the trunk lid 1 will impart to the pilot rod 12 a retrograde motion with respect to the button 9 thereby allowing the switch 8 to close the circuit to thehorn. This is illustrated in FIG. 5 where the trunk lid has been raised without the key first having been turned in the tumbler set 3, as would be the case Where a thief attempted to' punch out the lock or to spring the lid open.

It will therefore be seen that by this invention I have provided an alarm mechanism which is operative to sound an appropriate alarm under circumstances in which the trunk of a vehicle is opened illicitly rather than by means of a key. Furthermore, the mechanism is so designed as to allow removal of the key from the tumbler set, if desired, after the trunk lid has been unlocked, but before it has been opened.

While for case of description I have illustrated an an rangement in which the operating bar 5 itself acts as a camming member to impart a translational movement to the control arm, it will be immediately apparent that, if desired, a camming disc could be mounted upon the bar for engagement with the control arm. Similarly, instead of actuating the control arm by means of the operating bar, obtained from the latch mechanism, or from almost any other movable component of the lock assembly.

In the form of the invention set forth in the drawings, I have shown the pilot rod as being attached to the trunk lid and the frame member 7 mounted in the trunk well. I have found this arrangement to be particularly useful in connection with those automotive vehicles'in which the tumbler set and latch mechanism are mounted in the sill Wall 'of the trunk. In instances where the tumbler set and latch are mounted in the trunk lid, the frame 7 could obviously be mounted in the trunk lid and the pilot rod 12 either on the sill or in the trunk well.

For simplicity of illustration the frame member 7 has been shown as being open. In actual practice, however,

it will usually be desirable to encase the frame within a suitable housing or to employ a housing in which the walls thereof themselves act as a frame.

It is clear that the various components of the invention as herein described could be modified without at the same time departing from the true scope of the invention. It is not my desire, therefore, to be limited by the embodiments shown and described, but only 'by the scope of the appended claims.

lclaim: I 1. In an alarm mechanism, signal means, normally closed switch means, circuit means electrically interconnecting the signal means and the switch means, control arm means movably mounted on a fixed support member for movement into and out of switch opening relationship with the normally closed switch means, and pilot rod means fixedly mounted on a movable support member for movement into and out of switch opening relationship with the normally closed switch means, said control arm means and said pilot rod means thereby capable of being in switch opening relation with the normally closed switch either simultaneously or separately.

2. In an alarm mechanism for an automotive vehicle provided with signal means, a compartment, a closure for the compartment and a key operated lock means for the closure, the improvement comprising normally closed switch means interconnected with the. signal means by suitable electrical circuit means, means on the closure operative to maintain the switch means open only in re" sponse to the closing of the closure means, and means in the compartment operative to maintain the switch means open only in response to the unlocking of the lock means with a key, whereby the circuit to' the signal means is held open when the closure is locked andv closed and when the closure is unlocked and open, but not when the closure is opened without the lock means first having been unlocked by means of a key.

3. In an alarm mechanism for use with an automotive vehicle provided with signal means, a compartment, a closure for the compartment, a lock for the closure, the

lock including camming means responsive to the unlocking of the lock, normally closed switch means electrically interconnected with the signal means by suitable circuiting, control arm means mounted in said compartment for movement into switch opening relationship with the switch means in response to the operation of the camming means, and pilot rod means mounted on said closure for movement into switch opening'relationship with the switch means in response to the closing of the closure whereby the circuit to the signal means is held open by the pilot rod when the closure is locked and closed and held open by the control arm when the closure is unlocked and open, but is in normally closed condition when the closure is opened without the lock first having been unlocked.

the necessary camming action could be 4. Structure as defined in claim 3 in which the normally closed switch'means is of the spring-biased pushbutton type, the switch being open when the button is depressed. Y

5. Structure as defined in claim 3 in which the normally closed switch means is of the spring-biased push button variety, the switch being open when the button is depressed, and in which the control arm includes an end portion reciprocative into and out of button depressing relationship in a plane transverse the axis of the push button.

6. Structure as defined in claim 5 in which the control arm is spring biased in a direction away from the push button of the switch means, the relative strength of the means spring biasing the push button and the means spring biasing the control arm being such as to create frictional forces on the control arm, when the push button and said end portion of the control arm are in button depressing relationship with one another, sufiicient to overcome the force exerted upon the control arm by its spring-biasing means.

7. In an alarm mechanism for an automotive vehicle including signal means, a trunk member, a trunk lid member hingedly mounted for closing the trunk member, and a lock for the trunk lid member, the improvement comprising a frame assembly mounted upon one of said members and carrying a normally closed push-button operated switch, circuit means electrically interconnecting the switch and the signal means, camming means responsive to the unlocking of the lock, control arm 7 means reciprocally mounted on the frame and having one end portion thereof positioned for engagement by the camming means, the other end portion of the control arm being disposed adjacent the push button of the switch for depressing the same upon the reciprocation of the control arm in response to operation of the camming means, pilot rod means mounted on the other member and in generally coaxially aligned push-button depressing relationship with the bush button of the switch when the trunk lid is closed, whereby the circuit means is held open when the trunk lid is locked and closed, and when the trunk lid is unlocked and open, but not when the trunk lid is opened without the lock just having been unlocked.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Brady Oct. 6, 1925 Re June 19, 1928 OTHER REFERENCES 

